Issuu

Time to look great!

VOLUME 10 ISSUE 3

JANUARY 24-30, 2014

YOUR SOURCE FOR SPORTS IN GEORGIA

Panther Pride | Pg. 4 Georgia State is the best college hoops team in the state, says columnist Brian Jones.

Update from the Pool | Pg. 8 Riverwood, St. Pius X win at Emory; GAC, Wesleyan split dual meet

SAT, FEB 1 @ 7:30PM

NUMBERS AND FIGURES Braves head to arbitration with three cornerstone pieces of the franchise. | Pg. 5

SAT, FEB 8 @ 7:30PM

LAST YEAR SHE HAD THE WINNING

COMEBACK STORY. WHO WILL IT BE THIS YEAR? Know a young athlete who overcame a serious injury or illness? Nominate them for Comeback Athlete of the Month at choa.org/comeback. ©2013 Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Inc. All rights reserved. For official contest rules, visit choa.org/comeback.

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Vol. 10 Iss. 3 | January 24-30, 2014

STARTING LINEUP PUBLISHER/EDITOR I.J. Rosenberg

COLUMNISTS

ON THE COVER

INSIDE THE PREPS

ART/CREATIVE DIRECTOR DJ Galbiati Blalock SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR Stephen Black

BUSINESS MANAGER Marvin Botnick

DIRECTOR OF SALES Melanie Snare & MARKETING

BEAT WRITERS Ricky Dimon (Braves) Joe Deighton (Gladiators) Jay Underwood (Hawks) Brian Jones (KSU) Chris Nieman (UGA) Craig Sager II (Falcons) Stephen Black (Tech) Chris Schutter (GSU) STAFF WRITERS Ryan Caiafa Alex Ewalt

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Copyright 2014 Score Atlanta Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Score Atlanta is published in print every other week on Fridays and a digital version is posted to ScoreAtl.com in-between print issues. Views expressed in Score Atlanta are not necessarily the opinion of Score Atlanta, its staff or advertisers. Score Atlanta does not knowingly accept false or misleading editorial content or advertising nor is Score Atlanta responsible for the content or claims of any advertising or editorial in this publication. No content (articles, photographs, graphics) in Score Atlanta may be used for reproduction without written permission from the publisher.

06 12 13

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF GEORGIA STATE SPORTS COMMUNICATION, RIVER OAK PHOTOGRAPHY AND POUYA DIANAT/ATLANTA BRAVES

ON THE INSIDE AT SCORE Score Atlanta is looking for writing interns. Please e-mail Stephen Black at sblack@scoreatl.com or call 404-2561572 for more information. Join us Feb. 5 for the largest signing day party ever at five Taco Mac locations around Atlanta. The National Signing Day Frenzy presented by the National Guard is a chance to join Atlantaâ€™s most talented athletes and celebrate their future!

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A CUP OF JOE

FALCONS SHOULD DRAFT LINEMEN, WIDE RECEIVERS BY JOE DEIGHTON | JDEIGHTON@SCOREATL.COM

he Super Bowl is the target that each team shoots for at the beginning of every season. The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks have reached that point and have a chance to reach the summit of professional football in New Jersey next week. That being said, the Super Bowl dream doesn’t actually start at the beginning of the regular season, preseason or even training camp. It begins in the front office; it begins at the East-West Shrine Bowl, Senior Bowl, free agency and the combine. It begins with scouts and management assessing players that could potentially push a team to a championship. The Atlanta Falcons are already at work at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. and putting together a list of players that could be

playing under the roof of the Georgia Dome in 2014. Head coach Mike Smith and his staff are coaching the North team and have already seen some potential along the offensive line. Right guard Michael Schofield (Michigan), right tackle Seantrel Henderson (Miami) and left tackle Zach Martin (Notre Dame) are just some of the players that the Falcons are looking at. They all have size, they are all quick and they are all sharp. Which players will rise to the top of the draft list will be determined throughout the week and in the game on Saturday. The Falcons should be drafting an offensive lineman with their first pick, but with their picks in the later rounds they should look for a wide receiver. One name that is deep on most scouts draft boards is wide receiver

BIG B

FUN PLAYERS LEAD HAWKS; GSU IS HOT! BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

he football season has come to an end when it comes to teams in Georgia and the Braves’ start to the season is a few months away. This means the Hawks are the center of attention in Atlanta and people should start to take notice. Here’s the first reason: they beat the two-time defending champion Miami Heat on Monday. Now some people might say that it was only one game and the Heat are still the favorite to win the NBA Championship once again. That might be true, but the Hawks have lost to LeBron and company nine previous times and they won on Monday without their best player, Al Horford, who is out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle.

That leads to the second reason: the Hawks’ players make this team fun to watch. Leading the way for Atlanta is Paul Millsap, who is averaging 17.5 points per game and eight rebounds per game. After doing good things in Utah the last seven years he is putting up career numbers and as long as they keep feeding him the ball, the Hawks will be in position to win a lot more games this season. Another player to watch is Kyle Korver. He is not going to the all-star game and will never lead the NBA in points scored per game, but he knows how to shoot the three as he has hit at least one in the last 109 games as of Tuesday, which is an NBA record. But the play of Jeff Teague has been a key

Seantavious Jones out of Valdosta State. He played in the East-West Shrine Bowl and is currently working out with former Falcons receiver Terance Mathis. Jones has speed (4.45 40), height (6-foot-4) and leaping ability. On film, he looks like a poor-man’s A.J. Green. He needs to add another five-to-10 pounds before he enters the league, but that can be done. It’s safe to say that Jones will be taken in the fourth or fifth round. The Falcons should have a chance to add him and create depth at the receiver position. BEAT THE HEAT ... It was Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday on Monday and the Hawks gave Atlanta a gift by beating the two-time defending NBA champion Heat 121-114. After spending some time in England while losing to Brooklyn last week, it was difficult to think that Atlanta would come back home and beat Miami. LeBron James had his usual great game with 30 points, but Paul Millsap nearly matched him with 26 points. The Hawks matched the Heat shot-for-shot just like they did in the overtime loss to Miami in December. It was the first win over the Heat since 2012. Miami has lost games this year that they haven’t in the past few years, which shows

to the Hawks’ success, he’s eighth in the NBA in assists per game (7.6) and he’s also the reason the Hawks lead the NBA in assists per game (25.6). He also does his share in the scoring department, averaging 16 points per game. The role players like Lou Williams, DeMarre Carroll and Pero Antic have all also done their part to make the Hawks a first-half success. Head coach Mike Budenholzer has done a good job getting the players to buy into the system and making them believe they can play with anyone in the league. With the second half of the season about to begin, the Hawks will have their share of growing pains, especially with Horford out of the lineup. But as long as the team keeps plugging away, there is no reason Atlanta can’t hold on to the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. PANTHERS ON THE PROWL… There is another basketball team in Georgia that deserves some love as well. The Georgia State Panthers have been on a roll as of late, winning nine straight games as of Wednesday. One of the reasons for the success is they have no issues scoring, averaging 79 points per game, which ranks 35th in the country. R.J. Hunter, who is the son of head coach

that the Hawks’ win isn’t that big of a surprise. However, this win should give Atlanta confidence going forward. They still have the third seed in the East and will be contending in the playoffs. The Hawks have beaten Indiana, they have beaten Miami. The Hawks can play. Point guards Jeff Teague and Shelvin Mack have run the offense to perfection at times. Against Miami, they combined for 13 assists. Teague is quickly replacing Rajon Rondo as one of the best point guards in the NBA. The Hawks pass the ball better than any team in the league. They average over 25 assists per game. What’s amazing is the Hawks are staying in playoff contention despite not having Al Horford in the lineup. Mike Scott, Elton Brand and DeMarre Carroll have stepped in to fill the role of Horford and have done it well. Atlanta plays well at home with a 15-6 record. That will help the Hawks especially in the first round of the playoffs, when they are bound to have home-court advantage. This team is scrappy and hungry. It didn’t look good at the beginning of the season for head coach Mike Budenholzer with a DUI charge. Now, nobody really talks about that because the team is winning. Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons.

Ron Hunter, has been leading the way for the Panthers this season. He leads the team in scoring with 19 points per game and has been named Sun Belt Player of the Week twice in the last three weeks. He also leads the conference and is 10th in the NCAA in free throw percentage, making 90.5 percent from the charity stripe. “As a coach, I am watching R.J. continue to grow as a player and a leader,” Panthers coach Ron Hunter told georgiastatesports.com. “He is improving every day and working tirelessly to get better. As a dad, this feels really good. I feel blessed every day that he decided to come to Georgia State and that I get to be around him as much as I do.” In ESPN’s tournament projections, they have the Panthers as a 15th seed playing against Florida in the first round. Odds are the Panthers won’t go too far in the tournament, but out of the four Division 1 teams in the Atlanta area, they have the best chance to make the tournament. The Panthers still have a ways to go in terms of playing the rest of their schedule, but if they continue to score points like they have been, they will be the favorite to win the Sun Belt and make some noise in March. Photo of R.J. Hunter courtesy of Georgia State Sports Comminication.

Vol. 10 Iss. 3 | January 24-30, 2014

ON THE COVER

BRAVES ARBITRATION

A DIFFERENT STREAK COMES TO AN END DURING BRAVES OFFSEASON BY RICKY DIMON

he Atlanta Braves know a thing or two about streaks. Their record run of 14 straight division titles began in 1991 and did not come to an end until 2006. A streak of a much different sort is still ongoing. The Braves have successfully navigated their way through 12 consecutive offseasons without a single arbitration hearing. Not since John Rocker’s case prior to the 2001 campaign has Atlanta found itself in that relatively undesirable situation. A 13th consecutive period of smooth negotiations will almost certainly come to an official end when arbitration hearings take place Feb. 1-21 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Three arbitration-eligible players—Freddie Freeman, Jason Heyward and Craig Kimbrel—did not come to terms prior to last Friday’s deadline and there will be no more negotiations in advance of the hearings. That means all three would have to randomly agree to offers they have already rejected in order for the streak to continue. Simply put: that isn’t happening.

FANTASTIC FOUR … Alas, there is some good news—of which there has not been much since the start of last season’s divisional playoff series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In fact, avoiding arbitration with Chris Johnson, Kris Medlen, Mike Minor and Jordan Schafer is arguably the highlight of the offseason to date. It may not be a highlight that does much for fans, but it is also one that should not be understated. After all, arbitration is always a sticky situation. There is no in-between at hearings; a panel chooses either the salary proposed by the team or—at the other end of the spectrum—the salary proposed by the individual. Fortunately, the Braves found a common number with four of their best players from the 2013 campaign. Johnson, thought to be nothing more than a throw-in as part of last offseason’s trade for Justin Upton, led the team in batting and finished second in that department in the entire National League at .321. The

third baseman agreed to a $4.75 million deal for the upcoming year. Schafer ($1.09 million) saw more playing time than expected due to the prolonged slump of fellow center fielder B.J. Upton and he stole 22 bases in 94 games. Medlen ($5.08 million) was not quite a guaranteed win every time he took the mound in 2013 like he was in 2012, but the 28-year old still won 15 games and compiled a stellar 3.12 ERA in the process. Minor ($3.85 million) is coming off the best season of his career, which featured personal-best marks of 13 wins, 204.2 innings pitched and a 3.11 ERA. Medlen and Minor replicating or even improving on their 2013 success is borderline essential for the Braves, because they have not and likely will not come up with the top-of-the-line starter they desired at the beginning of this offseason. “I didn’t have much growing up,” Medlen told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “Had to fight for every opportunity I’ve ever gotten. I’m happy it’s done so we can focus on winning the (National League) East again.” THREE’S A CROWD … The current story is a different one, however, for three players equally critical as the aforementioned four in Atlanta’s efforts to bag another division title and this time advance in the playoffs. Negotiations between the team and Heyward came close to bearing fruit, ultimately ending with the two parties $0.3 million apart (Heyward asked for $5.5 million while the Braves proposed $5.2 million). A more expansive gap never closed between Freeman and the Braves. The first baseman wanted $5.75 million, but they offered only $4.5 million. Then there’s Kimbrel, who was not even in the same ballpark as Atlanta— heck, he might as well be all the way in Cobb County three years too soon! Atlanta’s all-star, flame-throwing closer sought $9 million, $2.35 million more than the team’s target of $6.55 million. The record contract for a reliever in his first year of arbitration is $5.25 million. “Our preference would have been to have all seven signed,” general manager Frank Wren told the Braves’ website. “I think we made a

strong effort to do that. We just couldn’t quite get there on the last three. At the end of the day, we went well above the recommended salary arbitration numbers for all of our players. We tried real hard. We just couldn’t get it done.” The deals will get done one way or the other by late February, but perhaps not before some uncomfortable scenes and maybe even bad blood. It is plainly obvious how fingerpointing can arise during arbitrations, as team representatives are often in the same room as the player while they try to point out certain shortcomings of the player and convince the panel why he is not worthy of the higher salary. Needless to say, for both immediate and long-term purposes Freeman, Heyward and Kimbrel are three guys with whom the Braves do not want to harbor any ill will whatsoever. Freeman, 24, hit .319 with 23 home runs and 109 RBIs last year. Heyward, 24, struggled with injuries in 2013 but hit 27 homers and drove in 82 runs during a full 2012 campaign. Kimbrel, 25, became the youngest pitcher to record 50 saves in season. Wren insists that the team is going to stick strictly to statistics during their arguments while avoiding any personal attacks. Although that is easier said than done, Wren does not sound too concerned with next month’s pending festivities. “Some clubs are adamant they’re not going to go to arbitration,” Wren explained to the AJC. “And some clubs feel as we do, that it’s just part of the process. You hope to get an agreement, but short of getting an agreement, it’s part of the process for both sides.” A process to which the Braves are unaccustomed is on the immediate horizon. It won’t be fun and it may not be pretty, but even more important is what happens after the hearing process. If the players who lose their hearings use it to fuel their fire for 2014 and if those who win their hearings show determination to prove their worth, then in retrospect this whole arbitration business won’t be such a bad deal. Photos courtesy of Pouya Dianat/Atlanta Braves.

GSU Hoops

Richard Sherman

Mark Richt

After starting the season 3-6 the Panthers have won nine in a row and sport a 5-0 record in the Sun Belt conference, 1.5 games ahead of second-place UALR. Behind stars like Ryan Harrow, a Walton product, and R.J. Hunter, the Panthers just may be the best college basketball team in the state.

Love him or hate him, the Seattle Seahawks cornerback is the talk of the nation after an outburst following the NFC Championship game. If he wasn’t known by anyone before the nation before then, he is now. While he was disrespectful and unprofessional in his outburst, he succeeded in his goal of making headlines.

After a nightmarish end to a season that held so much promise, Georgia and Mark Richt hit a grand slam with the hiring of defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt. The Dawgs saw Louisville hire away former DC Todd Grantham for the mind-blowing sum of $1 million, then hired the young star coach of national champion FSU.

SCORE LIST By Brian Jones

HUGE WIN

Hawks regular season wins are always good, but when they beat a team that has owned them at Philips Arena the last two years, that’s making a statement. The Hawks took down the Miami Heat on MLK Day and maintain the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Can this win propel them into bigger things this season?

LOST COACH?

After adding Mike Tice and Bryan Cox to the coaching staff, there’s a chance the Falcons could lose one a coordinator for a head coaching spot. Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter interviewed for the Browns’ head coaching job this week, which means the Falcons will have to scramble for a new OC if he gets the job.

GOING TO HAWAII

Speaking of Falcons, Tony Gonzalez will play in one more game as he was selected to play in the Pro Bowl on Sunday. Gonzalez finished the 2013 season with 79 receptions for 803 yards and eight touchdowns. Congrats Tony! Falcons fans will enjoy watching you tear it up one last time in paradise.

PANTHERS ON FIRE

Don’t look now, but the best college hoops team in Georgia may be the team in Panthersville. Georgia State has won its last nine games including five conference games. I knew this team would be good with Manny Atkins, R.J. Hunter and Ryan Harrow, but if they continue this trend, they could make a run at the big dance.

RECRUITING CELEBRATION

KSU announced it will have a celebration on Nation Signing Day, which is Feb. 5. It will take place at the coaches’ office and head coach Brian Bohannon will introduce the new class, which could number as many as 25 players. For more information on the event, contact The Owls Fund at theowlsfund@kennesaw.edu.

WHO’S NOT

SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

WHO’S HOT

Hawks Economics

Todd Grantham

Arbitration

Forbes unveiled its annual NBA team valuations Wednesday and the Hawks came in 27th with a net worth of $425 million. Only the Pelicans, Bobcats and Bucks are worth less according to the report. The good news is, the Hawks’ 34 percent value change over last year was the fifth-largest increase in the NBA.

The UGA fanbase was elated when former FSU defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt was hired for the departed Todd Grantham last week, but Grantham has unfinished business in Athens for at least a couple more weeks. With signing day around the corner, Grantham has been on a mission to poach his recruits away from Georgia.

For the first time in 12 offseasons, the Atlanta Braves approach a crowded month of February full of potential arbitration hearings. Three of the Braves’ most productive players, Freddie Freeman, Craig Kimbrel and Jason Heyward, have yet to reach agreements with the franchise. This exhausting practice does not make spring training feel just around the corner.

NUMBERS

OUR TWO CENTS

By Craig Sager II

Our email newsletter is something we take a lot of pride in at Score. If you aren’t familiar with it, it is a high school sportsheavy publication that we produce each day to fill in our readers on the latest happenings in Georgia prep sports. We send it out Monday through Friday throughout the year and Monday through Saturday during the fall. Not only do we cover popular sports like football, basketball and baseball, we also cover every other varsity sport the GHSA fields. If you like Georgia high school sports at all, sign up for our email newsletter by visiting www.tinyurl.com/scorenewsletter and enter your email address(es) that you’d like added to the distribution list.

TRIVIA QUESTION

WHOSE RECORD DID KYLE KORVER BREAK WHEN HE SET THE RECORD FOR MOST CONSECUTIVE GAMES WITH A MADE THREE-POINTER? ANSWER ON PAGE 14

“

SANITY AT LAST

“I’m very excited he’s here because I know he’s going to do things the Georgia way. It’s going to come real natural to him because he’s just that sort of person.”

Georgia football coach Mark Richt on new defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt.

71 3

Atlanta points in the first half of the Hawks’ 121-114 win over the Heat Times the Hawks have beat the Heat since LeBron James arrived in 2010

102.2

Points per game scored by this year’s Hawks team (12th in the league)

Times in the first 40 games that the Hawks scored more than 100 points

Undefeated boys hoops teams left in Georgia (Allatoona, Greater Atlanta Christian)

Pro Bowl appearances by tight end Tony Gonzalez

Players from the SEC on Super Bowl XLVIII rosters

Players from the ACC on Super Bowl XLVIII rosters

PREP SPORTS

POPE WINS IN COBB; GOLDEN LIONS WIN AT EMORY BY RICKY DIMON AND STEPHEN BLACK

rcher won the Sham Slam, one of the biggest meets of the wrestling season, Saturday at Habersham Central. The meet featured all six duals state champions and nearly all of the top programs in the state. The Tigers, the Class AAAAAA duals champions had four overall champions and five runners-up out of 12 total grapplers. Archer’s total of 307 points dwarfed second-place Jefferson’s 197 points. Commerce came in third overall, Collins Hill came in fourth and Gilmer took fifth. Class AAA duals champions Buford came in seventh just behind Chattahoochee. Collins Hill had three individual champs and Buford had two, the only programs other than Archer to boast more than one weight class champion. One of the surprises of the meet was Cambridge’s Kryshna Tanksley, who was runner up in the heavyweight division. Tanksley was a last-minute replacement for Cambridge

and was seeded seventh, but made it all the way to the finals before losing to Archer’s M.J. Couzan. MORE WRESTLING ... Pope won its seventh straight Cobb County championship by beating 18 other county teams including private schools North Cobb Christian and Whitefield Academy. Jake Henson was the hero for Pope by clinching the match with a 4-0 win over Allatoona’s Will Kemp in the 160-pound weight class. Henson also became Pope’s first four-time county champion. Marietta came in third place with three county champions. Kennesaw Mountain’s Justan Rivera won his third straight county title in the 182-pound weight class and Pope’s Dave Burson became a three-time county champion in the 170-pound class. At the Prep Slam at Holy Innocents’,

Greater Atlanta Christian finished the highest (sixth) of any Georgia school in attendance. Seventeen in-state schools wrestled, all of them private schools mostly located metro Atlanta, while a total of 35 schools competed. Marist came in 10th and Lovett finished 12th and was followed by Woodward Academy, Darlington and Holy Innocents’. At 195 pounds, Rod Davis of Holy Innocents’ won the weight class while Marist’s Kenneth Brinson won at 220 pounds. Those were the two lone champions from Georgia schools. SWIMMING ... The St. Pius X boys won the Riverwood Invitational last Saturday at Emory University, swimming away from runner-up Centennial by a comfortable cushion of 79 points. Marietta, Etowah and Northview rounded out the top five, all amassing more than 200 points (St. Pius X had a winning score of 320). The Golden Lions got a victory from Zach Halbig in the 50-yard freestyle and Halbig also teamed up with Josh Chatfield, John Flynn and Connor O’Toole to prevail in the 200 medley relay. Grant Summers won the one-meter diving competition for St. Pius X. In the girls meet, Riverwood edged second-place St. Pius X 299.5-283. Not unlike on the boys side, there was very little to choose between the top five teams—all of which finished with more than 200 points. The North-

Class AAAA

Score Atlanta Wrestling Rankings Class AAAAAA

Class AAAAA

1............................. Archer 2...............Camden County 3....................... Collins Hill 4................Chattahoochee 5...................... Cambridge

1................................ Pope 2... Woodland-Cartersville 3......................... Allatoona 4.......................Creekview 5....................Ware County

6...........................Grayson 7.................. North Forsyth 8..................South Forsyth 9................North Gwinnett 10...........................Etowah

1..............................Gilmer 2..............Lumpkin County 3........................Alexander 4.................................Cass 5........................... Lithonia

Class AA 6........................ Carrollton 7.......................Glenn Hills 8........................ Chestatee 9.............................. Marist 10........... South Effingham

Class AAA 6......................Whitewater 7................................... Ola 8........... Effingham County 9.................Clarke Central 10..............Warner Robins

1............................. Buford 2..................Banks County 3................Morgan County 4.......Woodward Academy 5......................Sonoraville

view girls came in third, just ahead of Milton and Pope. Interestingly, the first three individual girls races were won by freshmen. Kaylin Berinhout prevailed for Centennial in the 200 freestyle, Michelle Cho triumphed for Northview in the 200 individual medley and Melissa Brown of Grady took home top honors in the 50 freestyle. Greater Atlanta Christian and Wesleyan met in a dual meet last Friday, splitting the boys and girls competitions. A thriller of a boys meet saw Greater Atlanta Christian edge Wesleyan 152-146, as the Spartans wrapped up victory in the second to last race with Landon Keller’s win in the 100 breaststroke. Keller also won the 200 individual medley in addition to participation on a pair of victorious relay teams—the 200 medley and 200 freestyle. The Spartans got other individual triumphs from Hunter Dye (200 and 500 freestyle), Jake Jacobi (50 freestyle), Austin Hall (100 butterfly) and Marshall Gray (100 freestyle). Wesleyan’s girls made their battle against Greater Atlanta Christian far less interesting. They won every single event—including freshman Abby Gardner in one-meter diving—to prevail 207-74. Caroline White (50 and 100 freestyle) and Ellie Bradach (200 and 500 freestyle) both won a pair of individual races for the Wolves. Photos courtesy of Sonny Kennedy, River Oak Photography and Rob Saye.

1.........................Jefferson 2............................Bremen 3....................Social Circle 4................Toombs County 5..................................GAC

6...............................Lovett 7...................East Laurens 8...........................Spencer 9.........................Pepperell 10..................Westminster

Class A 6.........................St. Pius X 7...................Elbert County 8................Oconee County 9.........................Rockmart 10.............. Blessed Trinity

1.......................Commerce 2......................Gordon Lee 3..................Turner County 4....................... Darlington 5.............. Mt. Zion-Carroll

6...............Holy Innocents’ 7............. Athens Christian 8.....Strong Rock Christian 9..................Mount Vernon 10..... Eagle’s Landing Chr.

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Score Atlanta/AJC Basketball Rankings

AAAAA Boys

1.........................Allatoona 2....................Miller Grove 3.............................Tucker 4.................... Stephenson 5...........Effingham County 6................ Clarke Central 7..................... Sprayberry 8............... Warner Robins 9...........................Jenkins 10.......................M.L. King

AAAA Boys

1........................ Columbia 2................Fayette County 3..................South Atlanta 4..............Eagle’s Landing 5....................... Alexander 6...................Sandy Creek 7.........................Westover 8...................... Statesboro 9........................... Rutland 10..............Liberty County

AAA Boys

1........................Savannah 2.....................Cartersville 3........ Washington County 4........Johnson-Savannah 5................Blessed Trinity 6........................ St. Pius X 7...............Morgan County 8.............................Buford 9..................Elbert County 10..................Cedar Grove

AA Boys

1................................. GAC 2.............................Vidalia 3..............................Laney 4.................... Manchester 5...........................Calhoun 6..............................Model 7........................ Jefferson 8............ Crawford County 9..................Taylor County 10..........................Pelham

A Boys

1.......Whitefield Academy 2...................... St. Francis 3......North Cobb Christian 4.....Greenforest Christian 5....... Landmark Christian 6.............. Holy Innocents’ 7...........................Aquinas 8............ Seminole County 9.............Athens Christian 10.........Mt. Vernon Presb.

AAAAAA Girls

1..................... McEachern 2.............................Archer 3.........................Parkview 4................Mountain View 5......................... Hillgrove 6..................North Forsyth 7.........................Norcross 8.........................Westlake 9............................Hughes 10............ Douglas County

AAAAA Girls

1.........Southwest-DeKalb 2..............................Salem 3.............................Tucker 4.....................Forest Park 5...........Effingham County 6.................... Stephenson 7............................... Drew 8..............................Hiram 9........................Sequoyah 10........................ Osborne

AAAA Girls

1..............................Redan 2....................Cross Creek 3........................ Columbia 4....................... Columbus 5........................Chestatee 6................Fayette County 7..............................Marist 8........................Carrollton 9.............. Monroe-Albany 10...............Mary Persons

AAA Girls

1........ Washington County 2.............................Buford 3........................ St. Pius X 4...............Morgan County 5................Tattnall County 6................. Dodge County 7..........Southwest-Macon 8..............................Beach 9..............Franklin County 10................North Oconee

AA Girls

1.........................Kendrick 2........................ Wesleyan 3..............................Laney 4............................Pelham 5................................. GAC 6.......................Armuchee 7..............Bleckley County 8...............Putnam County 9........................ Pepperell 10.........................Calhoun

A Girls

1.............. Holy Innocents’ 2...............SW Atlanta Chr. 3...................... St. Francis 4......George Walton Acad. 5.....................Gordon Lee 6............... Randolph-Clay 7.................... Calvary Day 8............................Claxton 9............................Paideia 10.....................Darlington

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AAAAAA Boys

1.........................Westlake 2.......................... Wheeler 3.......................Tift County 4.........................Norcross 5..................... McEachern 6......................... Hillgrove 7..............................Milton 8.............................Walton 9............... North Gwinnett 10............ Douglas County

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SCORE ATLANTA | www.ScoreAtl.com

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

DAWGS LOSE GRANTHAM, LAND PRUITT BY CHRIS NIEMAN | CNIEMAN@SCOREATL.COM

ess than a week after former defensive coorLaccept dinator Todd Grantham left the program to the same position at the University of

Louisville, head coach Mark Richt and the Dawgs wasted little time to find a replacement. Many thought there was a chance the Bulldogs could lure Kirby Smart, Alabama’s current defensive coordinator, away from the Crimson Tide. However, Smart—who played defensive back for the Bulldogs from 1995-1998—received a raise and stayed with Nick Saban and the Tide. The Dawgs also reached out to Florida State defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt and landed the highly-touted coach for the same position. The move is a slam dunk, considering Pruitt had been on a national championship team for the last three seasons—two with Alabama as the defensive backs coach and this past season with Florida State as the defensive coordinator. Pruitt guided the FSU defense to a stellar year, finishing first in the nation in scoring defense (12.1 ppg) as well as third in total defense (281.4 ypg). Pruitt will not only be the defensive co-

GEORGIA STATE

PANTHERS’ WIN STREAK CONTINUES BY JAY UNDERWOOD | JUNDERWOOD@SCOREATL.COM

rior to Thursday’s matchup at Louisiana-Lafayette, the Panthers had won nine straight games, including five in a row in the Sun Belt Conference. As the season keeps moving along, the Panthers keep getting better and better and coach Ron Hunter says their potential is not yet even in sight. Hunter’s son, R.J., has turned it on of late. In conference play, Hunter is averaging 23 points per game and has shot at least 50 percent from the field in all but one of those contests. One player who needs to reestablish his stroke is Ryan Harrow. After a blistering start to the season, his production has slowed and he does not appear to be as confident taking the shots he was firing off earlier in the season. This does not mean that he has been playing poorly, but it does indicate that he is not playing up to his potential. Harrow has seen an upswing in his assist numbers lately, showing

ordinator, but he will also coach the defensive backs, which is a blessing given that the Dawgs gave up more than a few back-breaking plays in 2013. In the past four seasons Pruitt’s secondaries have finished in the nation’s top 10 in passing efficiency and have also produced several first-round draft picks. This clearly bodes well for Georgia, considering the Bulldogs did not play up to standards in 2013 and finished 84th nationally in passing efficiency (134.74). Richt summed up how he felt in two words at Pruitt’s introductory press conference: “I’m ecstatic.” Pruitt also expressed his sentiment, saying, “This is an outstanding professional and personal opportunity. I’m looking forward to meeting the current players and getting on the road to visit with recruits.” RECRUITING … There is certainly a buzz roaming around Athens about the newly-appointed defensive coordinator, not to mention the impact Pruitt has already made on the recruiting trail. He already helped the Dawgs get a commitment from fourstar defensive back Rico McGraw for the 2015 class. The Bulldogs currently have 17 players committed for the 2014 class and rank 10th nationally according to multiple recruiting websites. DAWGS IN THE SUPER BOWL … The Bulldogs have three former players making their first appearance in a Super Bowl. Champ Bailey and Knowshon Moreno play for the Broncos and Chris Clemons is on the Seahawks.

that he is still a valuable piece on the offensive side of the ball. He is most effective when he is attacking the basket and finding himself at the free-throw line, where he is shooting 83 percent. Once he gets his groove back, the duo of Harrow and Hunter will be one of the best in the Sun Belt. SENIOR LEADERSHIP … In the last four games, senior Devonta White has scored in double-figures while filling it up from outside as well as attacking the gap in the zone and pulling up for jumpers in the lane over taller defenders. White and fellow senior Manny Atkins have both been contributing heavily in conference play and it appears that their production is here to stay. Atkins is one of the better three-point shooters in the country, connecting on 44.8 percent of his attempts from long range. The Panthers’ recent offensive rhythm has been matched on the defensive end, as well. While they are typically getting out-rebounded, coach Hunter made the decision the put more focus on pressuring the ball to create havoc, force turnovers and come away with steals. This sacrifice has seen an increase in the number of fast-break opportunities for the Panthers and it plays well into the strength of the team.

GEORGIA TECH

JACKETS END LOSING STREAK WITH WIN IN BOSTON BY STEPHEN BLACK | SBLACK@SCOREATL.COM

he Yellow Jackets bounced back from a rough start to ACC play with a 68-60 win at Boston College Tuesday night. Tech led by 18 in the first half only to see the lead almost totally disappear as the host Eagles came within one point with 4:46 to play in the game. Trae Golden, however, then went on a five-point run on his own to give the Jackets a 62-56 lead. Boston College never seriously threatened again. Despite wintry conditions outside that limited the crowd at the tipoff to an estimated 500 fans, Tech was hot from the field and shot 52 percent for the game and made eight of 15 three-pointers. The Jackets also had a distinct edge on the boards with 32 rebounds to the Eagles’ 20. Coach Brian Gregory’s squad travels to N.C. State Sunday (12-7, 2-4) before hosting North Carolina (11-7, 1-4) Wednesday. Tech fell to 1-4 in the ACC Saturday with

KENNESAW STATE

OWLS TO HOST SIGNING DAY PARTY BY BRIAN JONES | BJONES@SCOREATL.COM

n past years, National Signing Day did not IUniversity. mean a lot to the folks at Kennesaw State But this year will be different, as the

football team will start playing games in 2015. What this means is KSU’s first recruiting class will be announced on National Signing Day, Feb. 5. Starting at 7 a.m. on that day there will be live coverage on KSUOwls.com, where features will include live look-ins at the coaches’ board room, a Cover It Live Blog and tweets and interviews with the new signees and coaches all day long. There will also be a live internet show hosted by Brian Katrek starting at 8 a.m. The show will unveil the new signees as well as multiple interviews with coaches and athletic department personnel. At the end of the day at 6 p.m. there will be a celebration of the new class at the coaches’ office. Head coach Brian Bohannon will introduce the first-ever signees to the public. The coaches’ office is located at Town Point Drive, a few minutes away from campus. For more information, contact The Owls Fund at theowlsfund@kennesawedu.

a deflating 56-42 loss to Miami at home. The Jackets scored just 17 points in the first half, and shot 29.5 percent for the game. Tech also made just four of 20 three-point attempts. Donnavan Kirk scored 10 points in the first half to lead the Hurricanes to a 27-17 lead at the break. Coach Brian Gregory’s team made just five first-half field goals. Trae Golden was Tech’s highest scorer for the game with 12 points while Marcus Georges-Hunt had 10. NEWS AND NOTES ... Lady Yellow Jacket Kaela Davis was named conference Rookie of the Week Monday after scoring 50 points in two games last week. She leads Tech in scoring with 18.6 points per game. In a loss at No. 6 Maryland in College Park Sunday, Davis led Tech with 27 points while Tyaunna Marshall had 22 points and 14 rebounds. Tech is now 12-6 overall and 2-3 in the ACC. The Tech men’s tennis team lost to Georgia Monday on the final day of the MLK Invitational in Atlanta, but not before taking the doubles point. Eduardo Segura and Carlos Benito of Tech defeated Georgia’s No. 12 doubles team while Nathan Rakitt and Casey Kay beat the Bulldogs’ team in straight sets. The Jackets host North Florida Friday.

UNLUCKY IN KENTUCKY … After tough road losses to Mercer and Lipscomb, the men’s basketball team looked to finish the road trip on a winning note against Northern Kentucky. Despite shooting 67 percent from the floor in the first half, however, the Owls fell to the Norse 82-69. “We played a very competitive first half,” Kennesaw State interim head coach Jimmy Lallathin told ksuowls.com. “But defensively we’re still struggling to keep our guys in front of us. We shared the ball well; we just hit that four-minute stretch in the second half where they went on a 12-4 run. We gave their shooters good looks and they did what they had to do, we just couldn’t recover from that.” Delbert Love led the Owls with 15 points while Nate Rucker had 14. But the Owls could not stop the Norse offense as five players scored in double-digits, including two who poured in 18 points. The Owls were back at home Thursday to play Stetson. They will have another home game on Saturday against Florida Gulf Coast at 12 p.m. NEW HEALTH PARTNER … The Owls announced on Tuesday a multiyear sponsorship agreement with WellStar Health System. Not only does WellStar become the “Official Health System Partner of Kennesaw State Athletics,” but the sponsorship also includes signage at Fifth Third Bank Stadium, the Convocation Center, Bailey Park and Stillwell Stadium.

Vol. 10 Iss. 3 | January 24-30, 2014 ATLANTA HAWKS

HAWKS FIND NEW IDENTITY, BEAT HEAT BY JAY UNDERWOOD | JUNDERWOOD@SCOREATL.COM

aul Millsap continues to take over the reins of the offense since Al Horford’s injury and lately he has been producing at a more efficient rate. When a team loses its leader, it must reinvent itself and that is what Atlanta has done. Against the Heat on Monday night, you could see Mike Budenholzer setting up his offense so that it would open up better looks later in the game. It all started by taking what Miami’s defense gave the Hawks, which was Pero Antic’s long-range jumper. Once Miami began to respect it, the lane opened up for Millsap to go to work on the block—resulting in one of his better performances of the season. This inside presence also allowed shooters to get open out on the wings and that led to a 71-point barrage in the first half. The Hawks eventually pulled off a 121-114 upset, in which Millsap scored 26 points to go along with seven rebounds. GUARDS FACILITATING … This is nothing new, but now the frontline

ATLANTA BRAVES

TRIO OF YOUNG STARS SET FOR ARBITRATION BY RICKY DIMON | RDIMON@SCOREATL.COM

ivisional titles are not the only impressive streak around this part of town. A different one, far less advertised but by no means unimportant, is still intact…for now. The Atlanta Braves have had no arbitration hearings for 12 consecutive years, a stretch that will likely come to an end after terms were not agreed upon with Freddie Freeman, Jason Heyward and Craig Kimbrel prior to last Friday’s deadline. No more negotiations will take place between now and the Feb. 1-21 arbitration hearings in St. Petersburg, Fla., so they could only be avoided if the players for some reason decide to accept Atlanta’s current offers. Neither one of the three is expected to do so. “We were very aggressive on all seven of them, exceeding arbitration recommendations and trying to get deals done,” general manager Frank Wren told the Atlanta Journal Constitution, also referring to successfully-solved negotiations with arbitration-eligible players

is working better together and its chemistry is beginning to allow for quicker passes and rotations. This all starts with the guards and lately Shelvin Mack has been better than anyone at taking care of the basketball and finding the open man. Against Miami, Mack was rewarded with all of the fourth-quarter pointguard minutes, which meant Jeff Teague was relegated to the bench. While many may see this as a bad thing, it shows that even when Teague is having an off night there is another player who can step up and guide the offense. This is important in Budenholzer’s point-guard driven offense. ENERGIZERS … It always seems like the Hawks find a diamond in the rough every season and this year is no different. In the past it was Zaza Pachulia and Ivan Johnson; now it is Antic and Mack. These are the players who capture the heart of the fans and provide much-needed energy during the long NBA season. Many Hawks fans are hoping that Antic gets rewarded for his excellent play of late by getting invited to the Rising Stars Challenge during the all-star festivities in New Orleans. Antic is not the only player who may be considered for the game, as Mike Scott has also become a vital part of the Hawks rotation coming off the bench at either the small or power forward positions.

Chris Johnson, Kris Medlen, Mike Minor and Jordan Schafer. “It just didn’t seem like we could get to a number to get a deal done with the final three.” STANDING PAT ... The Braves did not—or have not—done much in the way of free agency this offseason. Instead, they seem content to rely on improvements from within in order to take the next step after getting bounced from the playoffs in round one by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Most notably, that means high-priced disappointments B.J. Upton and Dan Uggla must turn things around. Upton is coming off a 2013 campaign in which he hit .184 with a mere nine home runs and 26 RBIs in 391 at-bats during the first year of a five-year, $75.25 million contract. Uggla batted .179 with 22 homers and 55 RBIs in 448 at-bats during the third year of a five-year, $62 million deal. Hope—even if there is no obvious reason for it—springs eternal, at least for hitting coach Greg Walker. “If I didn’t think the two guys had the desire to be good, I wouldn’t be as excited,” Walker told the AJC. “These two guys don’t want to have another year like that. I can’t say put it in stone that everything’s going to be rosy, but I’m optimistic. I think both of them are going to be fine, mentally. We just need to see where there swings are. Until we get to spring training and see live fire, we won’t really know much.”

ATLANTA FALCONS

PIOLI NAMED ASSISTANT GM, GONZALEZ MAKES PRO BOWL BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

n Wednesday, the Falcons named Scott Pioli assistant general manager. Pioli worked with current Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff in New England from 200207 and has been a member of three Super Bowl teams during his career. Pioli’s last GM job was in Kansas City, where he spent four seasons. Despite the league’s worst record in 2012, the Chiefs sent eight players to the Pro Bowl and the inconsistency at quarterback that season was likely to blame for the poor record. The Falcons own the No. 6 pick in the upcoming draft and having Pioli and his 22 years of experience in the NFL evaluating the talent should help the organization. “Adding a seasoned personnel executive with the track record like Scott’s is in line with our organizational philosophy of making investments in hiring the best people,” said Falcons owner and chairman Arthur Blank. “This move was made as a result of Thomas’ competitive drive to build the best personnel team in the NFL.”

GWINNETT GLADIATORS

GWINNETT GOES WILD IN WIN AT THE ‘ZOO BY JOE DEIGHTON | JDEIGHTON@SCOREATL.COM

winnett drove a ton of shots to the net in a 5-4 regulation win at Kalamazoo last week, sending the home team to its first regulation loss in its last six games. The Gladiators had 17 first-period shots, but no goals. That all changed in the second, as four pucks found the net. Forward Everson Marshall had a productive game, scoring two goals and tallying an assist. Evan Bloodoff, Antoine Corbin and Josh Currie added the other goals. Gwinnett finished with 41 shots on goal. Goalie Brad Phillips made 25 saves to earn the win. After emerging from the doldrums of a losing streak with six wins in eight games, the Gladiators fell back down to earth last week. Gwinnett lost four of five games and a postseason berth looks far away at this point. With the third fewest points in the ECHL’s Eastern Conference, it would take a miracle for the Glads to get back into playoff contention. Still, a lot of games against division opponents remain and whether or not Gwinnett is in playoff con-

BROWN RECLUSE … Cleveland’s firing of Rob Chudzinski this season freed up its head coaching position and Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter is a candidate for the job. Koetter was last a head coach at the collegiate level, where he led Boise State and Arizona State. Last offseason Koetter was heavily pursued for multiple coaching positions, including in Denver, but decided to stay in Atlanta. If Koetter remains with the Falcons next season, he has made it clear that the offense will have a different approach in 2014. “We’ve got to commit to the run game a little bit more,” said Koetter. “…I don’t feel like we ever really gave Steven Jackson a great chance to get going last year. He got hurt in that second game, missed three or four games until he came back. We’ve just got to commit to running the ball more, give it to Steven and that’ll help us get better fast.” PRO BOWL … Atlanta had been one of four teams without a representative in this year’s Pro Bowl, but Tony Gonzalez will now substitute for 49ers tight end Vernon Davis. Gonzalez has made 14 Pro Bowls and holds Pro Bowl all-time records for receptions (42) and touchdowns (six). He caught 83 passes for 859 yards this season and led the Falcons with eight receiving touchdowns.

tention should make no difference when going against rivals like Greenville and South Carolina. From this Thursday through Feb. 6, the Glads have four straight games against South Division foe Orlando. TRADE WINDS … Gwinnett has made so many trades this year it is hard to keep up with, but another deal got done earlier this week. The Gladiators traded defenseman Sacha Guimond to Ontario for defenseman Matt Clune. Guimond played 22 games in a Glads uniform and scored one goal in addition to recording five assists. It was a disappointing season for Guimond, who came to Gwinnett from San Francisco after being named ECHL Defenseman of the Year last season. Clune is a native of Toronto and brings a tough game to his new squad. In 31 games with Ontario this year, he racked up 66 penalty minutes while managing to produce a plus-four rating. As a defenseman, to be on the plus mark is a good sign that Clune is strong in puck control and clearing the zone. To go along with that, Clune scored a goal and added four assists this year for Ontario. Overall, the trade looks relatively even. It seems that Gwinnett wanted more out of Guimond, but he never got on track this season. Clune should give the team more toughness and grit.

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